Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1887-08-18
ANOTHER DISASTER.
An Excursion Train Drops
Through a Burning Bridge.
Over One Hundred Instantly Killed
and Many More Wounded.

inS Aoieuo eoTla IL Nesteru TulrOlu,
near Chutsworh, Ill. was the scene last
Thursday Of one of the worst railroad dis
asters in the history Of the country. An
excursion train of fifteen coaches full of
people were piled into terrible wreck by
the breaking of bridge. The number
killed outright is reported at llS, and
more than that number wounded, some of
whom will soon die. The story Of the
wreck us told by ne of the survivors, a
colorc6 porter. is given below. He was
porter Of the only Pullman Car damaged.
1t was the foremost Of Of the string Of SIX
sleepers attached to the end Of the train.
The tenth coach was total wreck, as was
all its predecs ssors. but the sleeper stop
led with Its forward end over the burning
bridge. The colored mans story vas
about as accurate an account as could be
gotten from any Of the passeng rs on the
ill.fated train.
II was awake" he began, "when we
crossed the Illinois central tracks ut
Chatsworth and pulled up to the station.
There was large crowd ut the depot,
q number Of them being people from ri.
per city, the next station east Of Chats
worth. II had been announced that the
train would not stop at Piper City, and ex-
cursionists who wanted to take the train
had to come down on the evening train
as well as In wagons--to Chattsbworth to
do so. jolly farewells were shouted to de-
parting friends by those at the depot, and
little did their joyful anticipations suggest
such dreadful end. We pulled away and
went inside my car again. All the pass
engers were asleep but two. They had all
stayed up late.
SINGING AND MAKING FUN,
as they seemed to know each other so well
they we've all asleep but two. 1t was ll:30
o'clock, and the train had been sailing
along ut about 80 miles an hour, when We
reached the top Of the hiH about two miles
beyond. Al the top of this grade there Is
a turnpike crossing. and remem er the
engineers whistling for it, rs Is the Gus
tom. Then down the gnde we went with
a dash. A moment later came the crash.
Everybody was shaken violently. and many
Of those In our car were more or less
bruised. 1t was simply an awful jerk, q
lunae, and then an abrupt stop, and we
were standing still. When we in the car
looked out We were so awe-stricken we
hardly knew what to do. Our Car was on
fire in front. and all efforts were directed
to extinguishiEg the flames. But the
people in the car behind ms wers not so
roughly handled as we. snd they came to
our rescue, and rustled out as many as
were able toswoik to help those in the day
coaches ahead. 1t was dark as pitch, and
the cars were haaped up 80 promiscuously
that We couldt get at them at all. The
awful groaning of the wounded, the sight
of the dead, and the terror OF the whole
thing was more than could stand. The
news was sent to the adjoining towns as
soon as possible. II was dreadful wait
uutli heip cssuic, uut oupposo Al ISuAtJ y"
was only few minutes. We were little
better off then. for their provisions we're
altogether inadequate for the great work
at hand. Physicians were scon summoned
from all the neighboring towns, and by
three o'clock in the morning the officials Of
the road were on their way from Spring
field with all the doctors they could muster
Two hoi.rs after tha wreck, and to add still
more suffering its horrors, the
RAIN BEGAN TO POUR IN TORRENTS,
and for several hours drenched the suffer.
ing and dying. But the horror might have
been worse had not the burning culvert
been extlnguished when IL was. The
debris would have burned, causing o
dreadful holocaust In which hundreds who
either escaped from the wreck uninjured
or wounded would have been burned TO
death. Not soul in the forward ten
coaches could have survived. But ths
engineer Of the leading engine returned
70 the wreck and gave us what water he
had, and after that gave out We extin-
guished the flames with dirt thrown upon
the burning timbers. Thank goodness,
that only one e-four;h OF the train load we're
hurt. don see how in the world any Of
us we're saved"